


I Am Just a Lion, and a Lion I Will Stay

by TooGoodToBeBad



Series: I Don't Think You Want to Stay at All [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: But Sylvain is not, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Ingrid is a Golden Deer, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), sad probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26496229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooGoodToBeBad/pseuds/TooGoodToBeBad
Summary: When Ingrid defects from House Galatea to reunite with the Professor, she makes a detour to pay one last visit to an old friend.
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Series: I Don't Think You Want to Stay at All [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948114
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	I Am Just a Lion, and a Lion I Will Stay

It was always cold up in Gautier.

But tonight, there was an unmistakable chill to the air that cut through her and bit at her bones, and it couldn’t be blamed on the weather. Not this time. As she alighted from her pegasus, a low breath escaped her, and she watched as it condensed before her eyes and turned into a mist that danced at her fingertips.

He stood at a distance, eyes the color of honey twinkling in the darkness, and the closer she got to him, the sharper the ache within her got. Gone was the boyish charm, the mischievous sparkle in his eyes - he’d stopped trying to hide the bitterness and pain he’d felt since their Academy days. Still, all of that was forgotten when he called out to her with open arms and a wide grin that reached his eyes and felt honest. “Ingrid.”

Something warm rushed over her as she melted into his embrace, and a soft smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Sylvain,” she breathed. “I’ve missed you.”

“So have I. Now let’s step inside where it’s nice and warm, before someone sees me consorting with a known defector.”

She froze and dropped her arms to her side, but she was still tangled up in him. “News travels that fast?”

“It always does.”

* * *

It was always warm in Sylvain’s study.

But tonight, there was an iciness that followed her and haunted her every step. Even by the glow of a roaring fireplace, she shivered. 

The _click_ of a cabinet door and the clinking of drinking cups drew her attention away from the flickering embers. “My folks got me this bottle when I turned eighteen. It’s wine from the finest vineyard in Daphnel,” he explained. “Expensive stuff, apparently. Would you care for a drink?”

She nodded glumly and watched as a vibrant shade of plum poured out from the bottle and into the cups. He handed her a cup before carelessly plopping down onto the armchair across her. “Should we toast to something?”

“I don’t think there’s anything right now worth offering a toast to,” she shook her head sadly at him.

He only sighed at that before cracking a tiny smile. “Then let’s just toast to you, then.”

“I’ll drink to that,” her cup clanged sharply against his, and she raised it to her lips, savoring the rich, deep flavor. “Has Felix told you already?” she asked as she idly watched the way the firelight danced against his features.

“Not yet,” he frowned. “I’ll probably get a letter from him within the week. I can’t imagine he had anything good to say.”

“He didn’t,” she said in a somber tone. “He was really upset about the whole thing, actually. He couldn’t believe that I would choose to leave over some foolish promise I made five years ago. He said Dimitri needed us, he needed me, now more than ever,” an uneasy pause filled the air. “He said I was selfish. And I think I might be.”

From his seat, Sylvain brushed a loose strand of crimson hair from his eyes before drumming his fingers on the rim of his cup. “If it’s any comfort, I’d probably do the same in your place.”

She scoffed at that. “Yeah, but you’ve seemingly made it your life’s mission to piss off as many people as possible.”

“And it’s a mission I will see through until its end,” that crooked grin she was all too familiar with came back, and her stomach twisted itself into a knot at the sight of it. 

She took another sip of wine and tried desperately to ignore the fluttering of her heart. “It’s just… I have to be there, you know? For them. For Claude. For the Professor. I need to march by her side again.”

He pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. “I know. And I know nothing I can say will make you change your mind and stay with us.”

When he looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes were surprisingly sincere. “I’ve always admired that about you, you know? You’ve cut your own path in life, damn what other people had to say.”

Tears began to prick at the corners of her emerald eyes, and she choked back a sob. “Ingrid,” his warm voice wormed its way through her ears. He’d closed the distance between them, and knelt on the floor in front of her, his fingers wrapping themselves around hers. “Ingrid, what’s wrong?” 

She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to leave you guys, but I have to see this through.”

As she met his gaze, she found herself coming apart in the warmth of his eyes. “You could come with me, you know," she offered. "Leave your father; leave this place. I need you by my side.”

His smile faded at that. “Ingrid, that’s your path, not mine. I’m not a Deer. I’m a Lion, through and through.”

“It’s a path I want to walk with you.”

“You know I can’t, not just yet. I can’t leave Dimitri right now. It’s bad enough that you’re leaving, and he’s barely himself nowadays. Felix swears he’s going to kill him, and for the first time in a long time, I’m starting to believe him. If I go with you, Dimitri falls apart, and he takes Felix with him,” he sighed before letting out a sad chuckle. “Someone’s gotta keep those two from killing each other.”

The sound of muffled footsteps above them snapped them back to reality. Sylvain swore softly under his breath. “You can’t stay here much longer. I… I wish you could, but…”

She nodded somberly as he rose to his feet, his hand still in hers. “I’ll walk you back outside to your pegasus,” he said.

They walked through the dark halls of the manor, a sense of finality pressing on her shoulders and threatening to break her spirit. Her thoughts drifted away from her and into another life where war was merely a ghost that haunted their past, where she could have chosen a path where he could stand by her side, a path where they could have loved each other. 

The biting cold of winters in Gautier shocked her out of her daydreams. She blinked slowly and found herself standing outside with Sylvain and her pegasus.

“Hey, Ingrid,” his voice sounded so terribly small - it almost sounded frightened. “How about one last hug, for old times’ sake?”

She turned to him and came apart in the safety of his arms, the winter biting at the tears streaming down her face. “I’ll miss you, you know?” she sobbed.

He paused at that, his fingers caught up in her blonde locks. “I’ll miss you more. Promise me something, Ingrid,” he whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Promise me that no matter who you face, you’ll give them hell, no matter if it’s a thousand Imperial troops, the damn Emperor, or fucking Nemesis himself,” his voice broke as he blinked away the tears in his eyes. “Give them hell, Ingrid.”

She nodded and idly brushed his cheek with her thumb. “I promise.”

They stood there, wrapped in each other and unwilling to let go. “Sylvain,” she breathed, her heart in her throat. “I-”

“Don’t,” he said darkly. “Don’t do that, Ingrid. You’ll just make it harder for me to let you go.”

She slowly nodded at that and watched him give her another weak smile. “I’ll see you when I see you, Ingrid.”

It was almost physically painful to let him go. “I’m counting on it,” she smiled back.

As she mounted her pegasus, she gave him one last hopeful look. He seemed to sense her thoughts, and he shook his head sadly at her. “Just remember, Ingrid. I’ll be with you always, until the end of the age.”

“Until the end of the age.”

Her pounding heartbeat seemed to disappear in the flurry of wings and wind as her pegasus took flight. It wasn’t long before the sky separated the two of them, and he felt like he was worlds away from her as she went off on her own path.

* * *

It was always cold up in Gautier.

But tonight would be the last time for a long time that she would ever be back, and she knew that when she left, she’d be leaving a part of her soul behind.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you guys liked it! Feedback and comments are appreciated.
> 
> I didn't expect to get this done so quickly, but it's been something that I've been thinking about, so here we are. Was in the mood to write something moody and different from the stuff I usually wrote. I got this done in like a day, so apologies if there are a few things off.
> 
> The title came from me having my playlist on shuffle. Since I only have one playlist, it still has my high-school jams on it, so I ended up listening to Hollywood Undead. That probably says a lot more about me than I think it does, but ehh.
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


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